'Rather play than train': Leeds Rhinos' James Bentley talks fixture pile-ups, his form and owing Giants one

Leeds play host to Huddersfield Giants on Wednesday, five days after a hard-fought 24-18 win over Warrington Wolves at Headingley.

They travel to Catalans Dragons on Monday and complete the regular season with a home derby against Castleford Tigers the following Saturday.

It is the second similar fixture pileup this year, following one at Easter and Bentley admitted: “It’s going to be tough on the body, but it’s just one of those things - we’ve just got to get on with it and deal with it.”

The 24-year-old former Bradford Bulls and St Helens second-rower stressed: “It is the same for everyone, it’s just how it is.

“At the end of the day, I enjoy playing - I’d rather be playing than training, so in that respect it’s more enjoyable.”

The game against Huddersfield will be Bentley’s 17th of the season and, after a string of early suspensions, he has been a consistent performer over the second half of the campaign.

A sending-off and three yellow cards marred the start of Bentley’s Rhinos career, but he said: “I am happy with how I am going.

“Obviously staying on the pitch is the main thing.

“Rohan [Smith, Rhinos coach] has done a bit of work with me to keep my game as simple as I can, keep my head and keep at that point where I’m not boiling over and I am playing my best rugby.

“I feel like I am in a good spot, I am enjoying my rugby which is important and I think you can see that when I’m playing. I am really happy and enjoying myself.

“The season obviously could have been better, the way it started, but I have put all that behind me now and I am finishing strong.”

Bentley needs to be on his toes with teenager Morgan Gannon staking his claim to be first-choice in his position, along with Rhyse Martin.

“We’ve got competition all over, especially in the back-row,” Bentley noted.

“There’s three of us and it’s good to have competition, I think it brings out the best in everyone.

“For us as a team, competition’s healthy.”

That has shown in five successive wins which have lifted Rhinos from ninth in mid-July to fifth on the table with three games remaining.

But seventh-placed Castleford Tigers are only one point behind and a slip up against Giants could see Rhinos drop out of the play-off positions by the end of Betfred Super League round 25.

Giants sit third, six points ahead and are one of only two teams Leeds haven’t beaten this season, along with St Helens.

This week’s clash is a rematch of a game in April which ended all square following extra-time, after Leeds led by 10 points on 77 minutes.

Bentley said: “It’s a very big game.

“Last time we played them at home we probably should have had them and we only ended up going away with a point, which was disappointing.

“We sort of owe them one from that.

“I feel like we are on a good run at the minute and everyone’s really confident so we are looking forward to it.”

Rhinos are in much better shape now than before the previous home encounter and Bentley reckons their ability to win in a variety of ways - dominating teams, fighting back after going behind or holding off opposition rallies - is a positive sign.

“At this time of the year it is just about getting the two points,” he added.

“That’s the main thing and we have shown we can do it in different ways, which is really good for us.

“We want to be in the play-offs so we need to be chalking wins off and holding our position on the table.”

Fifth place looked a long way off when Smith took over as coach in May and Bentley insisted: “From where we’ve come, it is good.

“We are just taking it a week at a time though, chalking wins off and we will see where we finish.

“We don’t want to look too far ahead, especially at the minute when we’ve got so many games coming thick and fast.

“We’ll put all our energy and focus into the next job, that’s the main one; we’ll tick that off and then go on to the next.”

The return of long-term injury victims Kruise Leeming and Tom Briscoe to the initial 21-man squad, is a boost for Rhinos.

“For us to have as many players fit as possible is a big thing going into the end of the year,” Bentley said.